BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opposes using medications like Ozempic for obesity and diabetes, advocating for dietary and behavioral changes instead, despite Denmark's use of Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy. Kennedy's anti-vaccine stance and misleading statements worry public health experts, who argue that medication should not be demonized and that lifestyle changes alone do not solve obesity.

Tirzepatide significantly reduced cardiovascular mortality and worsening heart failure events by nearly 40% in patients with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to the SUMMIT trial. The treatment notably decreased hospitalizations and urgent HF events, improved health status, exercise tolerance, and reduced body weight and systemic inflammation.

X4 Pharmaceuticals reported $0.6M net product revenue for Q3 2024, with a net loss of $(36.7)M. The company launched XOLREMDI for WHIM syndrome in the U.S. and plans to submit an MAA to the EMA by early 2025. X4 anticipates continued operating losses and negative cash flows, requiring additional capital. Challenges include reliance on XOLREMDI, potential market size uncertainty, and regulatory compliance risks.

Heart disease deaths among 25-64-year-olds in rural U.S. rose 21% from 2010-2022, widening the rural-urban disparity during COVID-19. Rural areas saw a 1% increase in heart disease deaths, while urban areas saw a 6% decrease. Seniors in rural areas experienced a 4% decline in heart disease deaths, compared to 9% in urban areas. The pandemic exacerbated existing health care disparities in rural communities.

Despite failed trials, hope is renewed in Huntington's disease treatment with a gene therapy showing 80% slowing of disease progression and another treatment seeking FDA accelerated approval.

AIRE's advanced AI predicts heart disease risk and mortality with precision, providing clinicians tools for targeted, long-term patient care.

R3 Vascular receives FDA IDE for Magnitude drug-eluting bioresorbable scaffold designed for below-the-knee peripheral arterial disease, enabling ELITE-BTK trial initiation in Q1 2025.

R3 Vascular's ELITE-BTK pivotal trial of the Magnitude drug-eluting bioresorbable scaffold for below-the-knee PAD receives FDA IDE approval. The trial, set to begin in Q1 2025, aims to build on positive RESOLV1 study data and will involve up to 60 global sites and 264 subjects. Magnitude, made from a unique polymer, is designed to gradually absorb into tissue, leaving a naturally functioning vessel.

R3 Vascular Inc. announces FDA IDE approval for its ELITE-BTK pivotal trial of MAGNITUDE®, a next-gen drug-eluting bioresorbable scaffold for below-the-knee PAD, with trial initiation in Q1 2025.